Efe Obada (born 13 April 1992) is a British Nigerian professional

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. Obada first played professionally for the London Warriors of the

BAFA National Leagues The BAFANL (BAFA National Leagues) is the primary American football domestic league competition in Great Britain. Originally formed in 1983, the league is run by the British American Football Association to coordinate American football, contact ...

, and later played for the NFL's

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

, and

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

Early life

Obada was born on 13 April 1992, in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, the economic and entertainment capital of Nigeria. He and his family later moved to the Netherlands. At the age of 10, he and his sister were trafficked into

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and were left homeless when they arrived. They initially slept in an office block before living in 10 different

foster home Foster care is a system in which a underage, minor has been placed into a ward (law), ward, group home (Residential Child Care Community, residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, ref ...

s. He eventually began work as a security guard at Grace Foods in

Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second Garden city movement, garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first New towns in the United Kingdom, new towns (designated 1948). It is ...

Professional career

London Warriors

Obada signed with the London Warriors of the

in 2014, where he played in five games as a

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

and

Dallas Cowboys

Based on a recommendation from Warriors

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...

Aden Durde, who previously served as an intern coach with the

, Obada was given the opportunity to work out for the team days before the Cowboys' game against the

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. Although he did not have much experience, he was signed on 1 April 2015. In rookie mini-camp, he was tried on the first days at tight end, before the team decided to move him to defensive end, where the learning curve would not be as steep. He was waived on 5 September. On 23 September 2015, he was signed to the Cowboys'

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. He was released on 7 October but rejoined the practice squad on 2 December. He was waived on 2 March 2016.

Kansas City Chiefs

Obada was signed by the

on 9 March 2016. He was released by the team on 7 June.

Atlanta Falcons

On 28 July 2016, he was signed by the

. He was waived on 27 August.

Carolina Panthers

file:Efe Obada 2019 (cropped).jpg, left, upright=.6, Obada with the

in 2019 On 25 May 2017, Obada was signed by the

through the NFL's International Player Pathway Program. He was waived by the Panthers on 1 September 2017, and was re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on 8 January 2018. After a strong preseason, Obada became the first player from the NFL International Player Pathway program to make a 53-man roster. In Week 3, against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

, Obada played his first regular season game, where he had one sack and one interception. He was later awarded the game ball, and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the season with eight combined tackles and two sacks. On 23 January 2019, Obada signed a one-year contract extension with the Panthers. On 13 October 2019, Obada was made an honorary captain for the Panthers' NFL London Game vs. the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

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as part of a very emotional day for him. On 6 January 2020, Obada signed a one-year contract extension with the Panthers. He was waived on 6 September 2020, but re-signed with the team the next day. In Week 3 of the 2020 season against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

, Obada recovered a fumble lost by wide receiver Keenan Allen on the last play of the game to secure a 21–16 win for the Panthers.

Buffalo Bills

On 19 April 2021, Obada signed a one-year deal with the

. He recorded 3.5 sacks with 12 tackles in 10 games.

Washington Commanders

Obada signed a one-year deal with the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

on 23 March 2022. He re-signed with the team on another one-year contract on 20 March 2023. On 31 August 2023, he was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

due to a knee injury. He was reactivated to the active roster on 14 October 2023. In the Week 11 game, Obada was carted off the field due to multiple leg fractures and underwent surgery the next day. On 20 November 2023, he was placed on injured reserve . On 14 March 2024, Obada re-signed with the Commanders on another one-year contract. He placed on physically unable to perform before the season opener and was activated on 12 October 2024. Obada was released on 5 November 2024, and re-signed with their practice squad the following day.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Obada, Efe 1992 births 21st-century Nigerian sportsmen American football defensive ends Atlanta Falcons players BAFA National Leagues players Buffalo Bills players Carolina Panthers players Dallas Cowboys players English expatriate sportspeople in the United States English people of Nigerian descent English players of American football Expatriate players of American football International Player Pathway participants Kansas City Chiefs players Living people Nigerian players of American football Players of American football from Lagos Sportspeople from London Sportspeople of Nigerian descent Washington Commanders players